USF eyes upset in home showdown with No. 8-ranked Miami

All eyes will be on the Bulls this weekend: USF faces the Miami Hurricanes at home and has a chance to pull off a season-defining upset.

Why it matters: USF has only three wins against top-10 teams in its football program's history. Adding a fourth against No. 8 UM would vault the Bulls into the national conversation.

• The Bulls haven't beaten a ranked opponent since 2016.

The intrigue: USF did hang tough through three quarters against No. 4 Alabama, entering the final frame down only 14-13 before collapsing late .

Zoom in: This year's Bulls team is dangerous thanks largely to quarterback Byrum Brown, a dual-threat who can challenge defenses by rushing or passing.

Stunning stat: Brown has run for 254 yards in three games, the second most by a quarterback so far this season, according to ESPN .

What they're saying: Stopping Brown is "gonna be a tall task," UM defensive coordinator Lance Guidry told the Miami Herald .

• "The guy can extend plays with [his] legs and then he breaks a lot of tackles. You can see it in the Alabama game — and Alabama's got big people — and he ran through some of their tacklers."

The other side: USF's defense faces its own challenge given that UM quarterback Cam Ward has been electric in his first season with the Hurricanes.

• Ward is completing 71% of his passes and has thrown 11 touchdowns with only one interception so far.

Keys to the game: USF is eighth in college football in forcing turnovers. Takeaways tend to be crucial in making major upsets happen.

• Being at home helps: The Bulls will need fans to keep Raymond James Stadium raucous to mess with Miami's communication and timing.
• "Packing out Ray-Jay will be awesome,'' Brown said, per the team site .

The odds: Las Vegas doesn't love the Bulls' chances.

• Miami is about a 17.5-point favorite .

How to watch: Seat Geek has tickets available (~$55 to a few hundred bucks).

• Or stay home and watch on ESPN. The game starts at 7pm Saturday.